This invention relates to a clothes washing machine, and more particularly to a clothing untwisting apparatus for automatic washing machines.
Generally, in washing machines, a pulsator is rotated by a drive motor after water as well as detergent has been supplied into a water tub, thereby generating a stream of water to accomplish the washing process. That is, as water and wash articles are rotated by the rotation of the pulsator, circulation of the water and detergent through wash articles or between wash articles occurs to clean the wash articles.
During the washing mode, the pulsator is rotated in a forward or backward direction regularly so as to wash the whole portion of wash articles effectively. Subsequently, a spin mode in which the barrel is rotated at high speed to dehydrate the wet wash articles.
More recently, a washing machine having a heater and a blowing fan has been developed, which has a drying function which supplies hot air to the wash articles. That is, when the heater and the fan are activated, hot air is forcedly blown into the water tub so that all the moisture is removed from the wash articles.
Therefore, the wet wash articles are dried and humid air is discharged to the exterior. In the meantime, the pulsator is intermittently rotated in a forward or backward direction so that the whole portion of wash articles is exposed to the hot air, thereby shortening the drying time.
However, when washing is accomplished using a conventional washing machine, wash articles are severely tangled, which damages wash articles and results in a poor washing function. The tangle or twist of the wash articles normally is caused by the rapid stream of water developed by the rotation of the pulsator.
That is, as the pulsator rotates in a forward direction, centrifugal force applied to the water and wash articles causes the water and the wash articles to rotate in a direction toward the vertical wall of the water tub. The stream directed to the wall turns and returns to the center of the water tub. Part of the stream directed to the wall flows upward along the wall of the water tub and then flows downward toward the center of the water tub. Owing to the rapid stream tendency, wash articles gather in the central portion of the water and become tangled with each other. Furthermore, as the pulsator is rotated in a backward direction, the direction of the stream is abruptly changed, so the speed and the direction of water is diversely divided. Thus, it leads to serious twisting of wash articles.
Owing to the repeated forward and backward directions of the pulsator, more serious twisting of wash articles occurs to diminish the efficiency of washing and even causes damage to the wash articles.
In the condition of tangled wash articles, when the pulsator and the water tub are rotated at high speed to perform the dehydration, the worst tangling of the wash articles occurs.
Further, during the drying process of the tangling condition of the wash articles, the amount of exposed surface of the wash articles to hot air is lessened, resulting in a decrease of drying efficiency.